When an eBay buyer or seller wants to cancel an order, it can lead to a game of chicken, with neither side wanting to be seen by eBay as backing out of a transaction. A thread this month on the eBay discussion boards shows how this can play out, with reaction to the thread getting heated, and ultimately leading to an eBay moderator entering the discussion.
On November 6,
the eBay buyer posted a thread titled, "Seller demanding for me to cancel transaction purchase at my own will !" where they wrote the following:
"So today I made a purchase and after seconds of making the purchase seller is demanding me to cancel it. Has been sending me harassing messages for me to cancel and just decided to block from this actions now what's next? Or what do I do
"I reported this action on eBay but not sure.
"Checked sellers feedback and he has history of doing this and claiming buyers asked for the cancellations or not sending the correct products and claims they stole it and switch it what can I do?"
The original poster included a screenshot of the message page showing the seller initiated contact with the following three messages:
"Hi, sorry, I was about to take it down because I listed her wrong.
"Can you ask for a cancellation, and I will send you a link to the revised listing.
"Same price too."
The buyer and seller then went back and forth, each requesting the other to initiate the cancellation.
Many commentors were sympathetic to the buyer, who didn't want to cancel the transaction, such as one who wrote: "Seller "listed her wrong," yet wants buyer to cancel... so seller can relist... at the same price... so buyer can purchase the same item. Seller seems disingenuous at best." But one commentor said both the buyer and the seller were "acting childish and immature" and said the buyer acted entitled.
Some might wonder why a seller would ask a buyer to cancel an order instead of just cancelling it themselves, but it's because it could put them at risk for getting a defect on their account. According to
the eBay policy for sellers, "You can cancel an order up to 30 days after a sale, even if your buyer has already paid. Keep in mind that if you cancel an order, you may receive a transaction defect and this could affect your seller performance level."
While buyers can't cancel an order, they can request the seller cancel their order. In that case, the seller would avoid receiving a cancellation defect. But as was the case with the original poster, it can be aggravating to buyers when sellers ask them to cancel their order (especially when the request appears sketchy).
However aggravating it may be to the buyer, an eBay moderator who posted in the eBay thread said that while the seller should not ask the buyer to cancel their purchase, "there are no rules that say a seller cannot ask a buyer, thus there is no seller abuse in the process."
He added, "The seller should cancel the transaction with the correct reason and eBay does monitor sellers that cancel transactions for the incorrect reasons."
This was a reference to a "workaround" some sellers use when they want to cancel an order but don't want to receive a defect - the workaround being lying about the reason for cancelling the order.
A poster on Reddit replying to a confused eBay buyer explained it succinctly:
"eBay gives the seller like 5 options that they can choose for their reason for cancelation. Out of stock or damaged item is one of those reasons. It's not something the seller inputs, they are just picking the closest reason from a drop down menu. By picking that option they are taking responsibility for the cancelation and their account will get a ding. When a seller picks buyer requests cancelation they are avoiding a ding. If you didn't request a cancelation you should call eBay and report the seller."
As a side note, some buyers are surprised upon learning they can't cancel an order. According to the
eBay Order Cancellation policy, "We understand that there are occasions when orders will need to be canceled. Once an order has been placed, buyers have the option to request an order cancellation up until the order has shipped. Only the seller or eBay can actually cancel it."
In a
different Reddit thread posted by a buyer last year who wanted to cancel an eBay order, responders were unsympathetic, with one writing, "Send payment. You have agreed to purchase something from somebody, have some dignity and hold up your end of the deal." Another wrote in part, "eBay isn't Amazon... If you bid on an auction and win or hit buy it now to a listing you just completed a contract to buy and pay for the item. It's buyers like you that will get it and then use Item Not As Described to force a remorse return with the seller paying the shipping cost, too many buyers abusing the return policy this way."
Ultimately sellers take a risk when they antagonize buyers, since buyers can leave negative feedback for sellers; report them to eBay; or even file a false "Item Not as Described" claim once they receive the item - and SNAD claims are difficult for sellers to win.
What would you do if a seller asked you, as the buyer, to cancel an order? Would you be sympathetic, or do you think such sellers hurt the reputation of all sellers on eBay?
Cancelling an eBay Order: A Game of Chicken
by: iBuyers